The present invention relates to the field of semiconductor processing; more specifically, it relates to a method and a system for monitoring an interfacial ion concentration using a corona discharge density of interface traps measurement.
Introduction of interfacial species (atoms, molecules or ions introduced into thin dielectrics near the dielectric/silicon interface) has become a standard technique used in semiconductor manufacturing. Generally, these techniques are performed very early in the fabrication sequence and involve very low concentrations of introduced interface species. Often the tool introducing the interface species cannot be relied upon to give an accurate indication of the amount of species introduced. Therefore an accurate, real time process control is needed in order to take timely corrective action to maximize the amount of product that is processed within specification.